Always Be There For You
by Kayligh007
Summary: What if it was Elena who found Damon laying in the middle of the road at the end of 2x12, instead of Jessica? Oneshot, R&R!


**A/N: First TVD fanfic ever! Hope I don't do too bad :S :L**

**Summary: What if it was Elena who discovered Damon laying on the road at the end of 2x12, instead of Jessica?**

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended; copyright goes to the rightful owners. I own nada.**

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Just laying on the ground, listening to the sounds of small animal's scurrying around, the far-away sounds of humans, and the faint sound of a car zooming along the road, gave Damon plenty of time to put his life into perspective.

What was the point? That question repeats itself again and again in his mind, haunting him. Everyone he's ever loved, chose Stefan, your baby brother, over him.

First came Katherine, in 1864. Then, 145 years later, comes along her doppelganger, Elena Gilbert. Her kidnapper, Rose, is number three on the list.

He must have been _terrible_ in a past life.

He couldn't take it anymore; he may not be human, but he wasn't immune to being hurt (despite the pretense he dons) and he was on the brink of snapping. Reverting back to the way he was before _she_ came into his life.

He took in a big, unnecessary breath.

The car was getting closer, now. About 45 seconds away.

Already, he knew this wasn't going to end well for the driver. _'Poor guy,'_ he allowed himself to think, and feel guilt for half a second before flipping the switch.

He was in predator mode now. No going back. Rose's death had been the turning point, the point that he just couldn't do 'emotions' anymore. It hurt too much.

_'5...4...3...2...1'_ he counted down in his head, as the car approached him.

He heard it come to an abrupt stop, and the driver got out.

_'Now or never.' _It had been quite a while since he has done this, but falling into an old routine should be easy. At least, that's what he told himself.

'Damon? Damon!'

That voice.

He'd recognise it anywhere.

_Elena._

He didn't see that one coming.

'Elena?' he heard a voice say, a few seconds before realising it was his own.

'What are you doing laying in the middle of the road? Come on, get up, Damon,' she went over to him and tried to help him up, but he made no move to even so much as sit up. 'Are you drunk?' she asked him warily.

'No. Well, yes. Maybe. Just a little,' he rambled.

'Damon,' she looked pityingly down at him, before sitting down next to him. By this time, he had taken out more alcohol and was chugging it down.

'I'm really sorry about Rose,' Elena told him sympathetically.

Damon sighed frustratedly. _I'm sorry _wasn't going to bring back Rose, now, was it?

'Why are you here, Damon?'

He frowned. Why was he here? It's not that he was so drunk that he couldn't remember; on the contrary, he could remember the past few days in excruciating detail. His heart had been shattered into a million fragments, and it was his own fault. He antagonized Jules, and because of that _stupid, idiotic_ decision, now Rose was gone.

He needed Rose. She was a distraction from Elena. Her presence put a temporary pause on his heartbreak over her.

Now that she was gone, he had no idea what to do. Just when he had the tiniest glimmer of hope, of happiness, it was taken away from him in a blink of an eye.

Elena was never going to love him back. There was nothing keeping him from flipping the switch, and just leaving, never to return. But when Elena suddenly showed up (that girl really has learned the art of appearing at the worst possible moment) something snapped inside him, and all his feelings for her came flooding back. He had a distant memory of Rose telling him that as you got older, you had to pretend not to feel. The 'switch' was only a temporary thing, apparently.

'I'm...lost,' he finally said.

'What do you mean?'

'I...Rose is gone, so...I...I don't know. I don't know what to do, Elena. I'm lost,' he answered her, voice shaking. This is the most vunreable he had _ever_ been in front of _anyone_.

For the second time that night, she wrapped her arms around him.

'I need help, Elena,' he admitted.

'I'm here for you. Always,' she told him comfortingly.

He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. 'I think I'm having an existential crisis.'

'What?'

'I can't be who you want me to be, Elena. It's not who I am. I'm not good.'

'Damon,' she began. 'Don't give up. You are good, I've _seen_ your human side -' She was cut off.

'But I'm not human, Elena!' he exploded. 'I haven't been for the last 147 years!' He was crying now. He was about to bare his heart and soul to her, his most private secret, but he trusted her more than anyone in the world. He was trusting her not to break him even more than he was already broken, and something told him she would be the one to put him back together.

'I miss it, Elena. I miss being human more than anything in the world,' he turned to her, and saw complete shock on her face. But nevertheless, Elena being the 'do-gooder' that she is, put aside her shock, and pulled him into an even tighter embrace, and let his head fall on her shoulder, and held him like that until he had cried it all out.

'Why are you helping me? After everything I've done?' he asked her tentatively.

'Because, Damon,' she started. She was going to end that sentence with 'I'm your friend', but the look on his face told her that he needed more than that right now, and something told her that now was the time to 'fess up about the vervain.

'Beacuse, Damon,' she repeated, 'I love you.'

He frowned. 'What?'

'I love you, Damon. I remember everything that happened the night after you rescued me from Elijah,' she confessed.

'But...how? I compelled you forget; that's impossible!' he said in shock.

'After everything that had happened, I was so scared that another vampire would attack me that I drank coffee,' she told him. 'Vervain-laced coffee.'

After a minute of digesting this, he said, 'Why didn't you tell me this before?'

'I...I was afraid of turning into Katherine. I don't want to be her, Damon! I can't be her! I won't break both your hearts!'

'Elena, you could never be Katherine,' he told her earnestly.

'I thought it would be better for everyone if I pretended that you did compel me! That's why I never asked about my necklace magically reappearing,' she told him. 'But I can't keep lying to myself any longer, Damon.'

They sat there in silence in each other's arms, for what felt like an eternity, until Elena finally broke the silence.

'Come on, Damon, let's get you home.'

He nodded, allowing to lead him to her car.

While they were driving, he noticed they weren't heading in the direction of the boarding house; rather, they were heading for Elena's.

'Elena, you've to drop me home,' he said, confused.

'I'm taking you to mine, just for the night,' she answered. 'I'm not leaving you alone. Not after finding you lying in the middle of the road.'

He smirked. He could feel his own cocky, egotistical self coming back.

'Really Elena, if you want me to go to bed with you, just ask.'

She rolled her eyes and slapped him half-heartedly.

'I'm glad you're back, Damon,' she said, knowing he'd know what she meant.

'So am I,' he said sincerley, as she pulled into the driveway. He turned to her.

'Thank you, Elena.'

She smiled. 'I meant what I said earlier, you know. I'll always be there for you.'

They knew how the other felt for them, but neither wanted to hurt Stefan, for their own reasons. They'd deal with that tomorrow.

But as they walked up the stairs, she slipped her hand into his.

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**A/N: Review please!**


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